Goth subculture linked to self-harm and suicide

Young people involved in the Goth punk-rock genre have a tendency to harm themselves
Deliberate self-harm is relatively common among young people, with rates of 7 to 14 per cent in the UK. It is related to later risk of suicide and psychiatric disorder, and has a high prevalence among certain subgroups. The media have linked the Goth youth subculture - with its individual style of punk-rock music, black clothes, heavy make-up and androgyny - with self-harm. But evidence for this has been sparse. Researchers in Glasgow set up a longitudinal cohort study to investigate whether self-harm is associated with Goth subculture. Their research indicates that identification as belonging to the Goth culture is strongly associated with lifetime seifharni and attempted suicide, with a prevalence of 53 per cent and 47 percent respectively. Even after accounting for factors such as social class, parental separation, smoking, alcohol use or previous depression, the researchers found that Goth identification remained the single strongest predictor of self-harm or attempted suicide. The researchers collected data on participants at age 19 through the west of Scotland 11-16 study, a comprehensive study of health and lifestyles. Respondents were recruited in 1994 during their final year of primary school (age 11, n=2,586) and resurveyed at ages 13,15 and 19 in 2002-04 07^1,258). For young people aged 15 to 19 the researchers used a computerised version ofthe diagnostic interview schedule for children to collect data on psychiatric diagnosis, including a question on suicide attempts, Robert Young, the research leader, said {Young ef a/2006): 'One common suggestion is that they may be copying subcultural icons or peers. But since our study found that more reported self-harm than before, rather than after becoming a Goth, this suggests that young people with a tendency to self-harm arQ attracted to the Goth subculture,'
Keference Youns R ef ii/(2006) Prtvaience of ilcliiier^UL-self harm and .mempted suicide within wmtemporary C!oih voiith subculture; longittidinalcohort study, British Medical journal. 332,

Chewing gum speeds recovery time after elective colectomy

C;bcwinggum speeds recovery after elective open colon sigmoid resection by stimulating bowel motitityand decreasing postoperative obstruction or ileus, American researchers found. A prospective, randomised study of 34 patients undergoing elective surgery for diverticulitis or cancer were asked to either chew gum three times a day for one hour until discharge or act as controls (H= 17), Patient demographics, and intraoperativeand postoperative "--__ care were

Vunk-rock, black clolbcs. make-up jiid iindrogyiiy dre all part af the (nth subculture

equivalent hetween thu groups. All gumchewing patients tolerated the gum. The first passage of flatus occurred on postoperative hour 65.4 in the gum-chewing group and on hour 80.2 in the control group |P=0.05).The first bowel movement occurred on postoperative hour 63.2 in the gum-chewing group and 89.4 in thecontrols (P=0.04). The first feehngs ot hunger were felt on postoperative hour 63.5 In the gum-chewing group and 72.8 m controls (r=0.27). There were no major complications in either group. The length of hospital stay was shorter in the gum-chewing group (day 4.3) than in the control group (day 6.8, P=0.01).
Schuster R ef ii/(20061 Gum chewing rcduijcs ileus after elective open sigmoid '.:o\ecmmy. Archives ofSurgery. 141,2, 174-176.

7549,1058-1061. 20 may 17 :: vol 20 no 36 :: 2006

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